Taking time to smell the roses

This was the most beautiful rose that I saw at the cemetery today:

I was running early to meet my friend today, so I had time to stop by a Japanese supermarket on the way to her house and pick up this yummy boysenberry gum. Note that the package says "New Zealand" over the berries, and it features a silhouette of said country. Boysenberries are my favorite berry.Our day got off to a good start -- my friend showed me her wonderful art; I met her kitties; and her husband made us a most excellent pizza (spinach, feta, purple onions, olives, etc.) for us. He made the entire thing from scratch. The crust was divine. We finished up by touring their plantings in their front and back yards. She has a cactus in a planter that is over 30 years old.

After lunch, my friend and I headed for the cemetery. She and her husband have major green thumbs, and they used to be volunteer gardeners at the cemetery. The first rose that we smelled had a mild, yet scrumptious, fragrance -- like bananas. We had to smell it a second time before we left. My friend said that it reminded her of the delicate flavor of a banana popsicle. The rose is called "Smith's Parish," and it's a type of Bermuda Rose. Oddly enough, this site says that this rose is "Not Fragrant" and "has no discernible fragrance."

This Western Scrub-Jay was proudly perched on the tallest monument around (I'm not a cemetery expert, so I'm not sure if "monument" is the right term).

And now for more roses:

Freesia

Note the tiny insect on this flower.

We also visited the native plant garden, the cemetery archives, and sniffed each and every rose bush. Glorious!!!

Good night,
Sylvie